Shen’dralas is the new World of Warcraft: Forever zone at the south end of Desolace, and the only way in is on foot through the Valley of Bones. The 19 WoW Forever Shen’dralas quests players had recorded by November 5 run from level 38 to 43 and can all be picked up from level 35, and the zone has no flight point. This guide covers how each faction gets there, what every subzone holds, which centaur quest chains lead in and where Shen’dralas fits a leveling route next to Desolace and the Riverglades.
Blizzard describes the zone only in broad strokes. Its What’s Next panel recap and launch article call it “a long-hidden mystery between Mulgore and Desolace” tied to the Shen’dralar, Eldre’Thalas, Dire Maul and the region’s centaur tribes, and the Found Photos panel recap places it south of Desolace through the Valley of Bones. Principal Designer Kris Zierhut told The Sun in September that the Magram and Gelkis centaur stories from Desolace carry you over into the zone, where you discover the ruins of Shen’dralas and pick up the story of Dire Maul’s Highborne and Prince Tortheldrin.
How solid this is: subzones, the flight network and the exploration achievement come from the live game’s data (build 1.60.1.70790 of November 4, still the newest on November 5). Quest names, levels and XP come from ForeverChanges, a fan site whose addon records quests as players see them, and Wowhead lists the Magram quest Valley of Bones at level 40 as well. Creature levels are from MetaForge. We haven’t checked these in the game ourselves. The rest of the launch is in our WoW Forever hub.
Shen’dralas Level Range
Shen’dralas is a level 38 to 43 zone going by its quests: the 19 recorded so far span levels 38 to 43, and every one of them can be picked up from level 35. That range comes from player data, not from Blizzard, which never published one. The game’s own area data doesn’t settle it either: the Riverglades’ subzones carry levels from 36 to 44 in the live client, but all six Shen’dralas subzones carry none.
The creatures agree. MetaForge lists the Undead Ravagers in the Valley of Bones at 37 to 38 and the Outcast Necromancers at 39 to 40. Zierhut put Shen’dralas and the Riverglades in the levels where Classic leveling used to slow down, after the interviewer suggested about 40. Our WoW Forever zones by level guide estimated the mid-30s to mid-40s before launch, so 38 to 43 narrows that down. The southern half of the zone, with the ruins of Shen’dralas, has no recorded quests yet, so the top end may still move.
When to go: arrive at 38 to 40 with the Magram or Gelkis chain from Desolace in your log, and save the level 43 quests at Bristleback Retreat, Magram Front and Outcast Hideaway for level 41, when Classic’s color rules turn a level 43 quest yellow.
Where Is Shen’dralas?
Shen’dralas lies in central Kalimdor at the south end of Desolace, with Mulgore to the east and Feralas to the south-west on Forever’s zone map. On Forever’s Kalimdor map it covers about 41 to 46 across and 60 to 66 down. It’s a small zone: its map spans about 2,050 by 1,370 yards, less than half the width of Desolace’s (about 4,500 by 3,000).
The Valley of Bones, a Desolace subzone in Classic, now belongs to Shen’dralas. The live game’s data files it under the new zone, and Forever’s Desolace map no longer names it. Mountains close Shen’dralas off from Mulgore and Feralas, and the only road on the zone map leaves the Valley of Bones north into Desolace: the “new fork in the road” Zierhut described.
How to Get to Shen’dralas
You reach Shen’dralas on foot from southern Desolace: ride to the Valley of Bones south-east of Mannoroc Coven and follow the valley into the zone. Shen’dralas has no flight point and no boat; the live game’s flight data has no flight master in the zone, so the last flight lands in Desolace. Our WoW Forever flight paths guide has the whole network.
| Faction | Fly to | Then ride | Straight line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance | Nijel’s Point, northern Desolace | Ride south through the middle of Desolace past the Kodo Graveyard to Mannoroc Coven, then south-east into the Valley of Bones | 2,150 yards |
| Horde | Shadowprey Village, western Desolace | Ride east across southern Desolace to Mannoroc Coven, then south-east into the Valley of Bones | 1,960 yards |
| Either, from Mulgore or Feralas | Thunder Bluff or Camp Mojache (both Horde) | Don’t: they’re closer in a straight line, but no road crosses the mountains on Forever’s maps | 1,520 yards (Thunder Bluff) |
Distances are our calculation from the live game’s flight data and the Shen’dralas map bounds, measured to where the Valley of Bones road leaves the zone map. The road distance is longer. From the valley to the ruins of Shen’dralas is another 900 yards in a straight line, and the level 40 mount from our mount guide pays off here.
Shen’dralas Subzones
Shen’dralas has six named subzones in the live game’s data plus the ruins of Shen’dralas itself, which the zone map labels but the exploration achievement leaves out. Explore Shen’dralas asks for Bristleback Retreat, Evenshade’s Overlook, Forlorn Gardens, Magram Front, Outcast Hideaway and the Valley of Bones. Quests have been recorded in four of the seven areas so far.
| Subzone | Quest level | Where | What’s there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley of Bones | 38-42 | North, the way in | The old Desolace valley with the goliath skeletons. Undead Ravagers, Outcast Necromancers and Gelkis captives. The Magram contact Orgrul stands near the northern entrance; the Gelkis contact Nerlokh at the entrance the quest text calls southern. |
| Bristleback Retreat | 43 | North-east | Bristleback quilboar camp. The Magram say the quilboar took an artifact from a nearby temple. |
| Magram Front | 43 | East-central | Magram forward camp, where Hagiak hands out the last Magram quests. |
| Outcast Hideaway | 43 | South-west | Camp of Gelkis exiles turning to necromancy. Home of the escort quest Going Home. |
| Evenshade’s Overlook | None recorded | West | Nothing published yet. |
| Shen’dralas | None recorded | South-central | The ruins tied to the Shen’dralar and Dire Maul, the largest structure on the zone map. |
| Forlorn Gardens | None recorded | South-east | Nothing published yet. |
Shen’dralas Quests: the Magram and Gelkis Chains
Shen’dralas quests start in Desolace. Every one recorded so far continues one of Desolace’s two centaur faction chains: the Gelkis chain from Uthek the Wise in Gelkis Village, or the Magram chain from Warug in Magram Village. Both chains need Friendly reputation with the clan, which you build as in Classic, mainly by killing the other clan’s centaurs. Captain Pentigast at Nijel’s Point (Alliance) and Gurda Wildmane at Shadowprey Village (Horde) hand out the quests that start them.
- Gelkis: after Ongeku (level 37), Uthek sends you to Nerlokh with Valley of Bones (38). Facing the Truth and A Cleansing Cry then take you back to Uthek in Desolace before the chain returns to the valley.
- Magram: ForeverChanges lists the new quest A Conqueror’s Crown (40), which asks for a crown from the Badlands, just before Valley of Bones (40), which sends you to Orgrul. Plan for the Badlands trip if the crown turns out to be required.
| Quest | Level | Clan | What you do | XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley of Bones | 38 | Gelkis | Find Nerlokh at the Valley of Bones, far east of Gelkis Village | 290 |
| Ravaging Ravagers | 38 | Gelkis | Kill 6 Undead Ravagers | 1,450 |
| Facing the Truth | 38 | Gelkis | Bring an Accursed Skull and Gelkis Necromantic Garb to Uthek the Wise | 700 |
| Outing Outcasts | 40 | Gelkis | Bring a Necromantic Garb to Nerlokh | 2,350 |
| Saving Our Own | 42 | Gelkis | Free 5 Gelkis Captives deeper in the valley | 2,550 |
| Bone Burying | 42 | Gelkis | Lay 8 failed undead summons to rest | 3,450 |
| Checking Things Out | 43 | Gelkis | Scout the centaur camps of Shen’dralas | 360 |
| Going Home | 43 | Gelkis | Escort Rokren out of Outcast Hideaway | 2,700 |
| Valley of Bones | 40 | Magram | Find Orgrul at the Valley of Bones, south of Magram Village | 320 |
| Mountain of Bones | 42 | Magram | Collect Gently Cursed Bones for Orgrul | 3,450 |
| Corrupting Tears | 42 | Magram | Bring 3 Petrified Bark and 3 Imbued Tears | 3,450 |
| Proof of Concept | 41 | Magram | Bring back Well Cursed Bones from a ritual; reward: Blade of the Magram Clan, Staff of Revelations or Desperate Barrier | 2,450 |
| Bone Raising | 40 | Magram | Raise or kill 10 Haggard Bones with the Enhanced Necromancy Staff | 2,350 |
| Outcast Necromancers | 40 | Magram | Kill 6 Outcast Necromancers in the valley | 2,350 |
| No Mercy for the Weak | 42 | Magram | Kill 5 Gelkis Captives | 2,550 |
| Bristleback Retreat | 43 | Magram | Kill 16 Bristleback quilboar, then report to Hagiak at Magram Front | 3,600 |
| Long-Term Solutions | 43 | Magram | Kill 2 Outcast Scouts, 6 Outcast Marauders and 8 Outcast Necromancers | 3,600 |
| Threat of Starvation | 43 | Magram | Bring 6 Stolen Supplies from Outcast Hideaway to Hagiak | 1,800 |
| Return to Orgrul | 43 | Magram | Report back to Orgrul | 360 |
The two chains are rivals. The Magram want the Gelkis captives in the valley dead, the Gelkis want them freed. ForeverChanges shows no reputation loss with the other clan on these quests, but in Classic your standing with one clan comes from killing the other’s centaurs, so expect to pick one side; we couldn’t check in game whether both chains can be finished.
The XP is modest. The recorded Magram quests in Shen’dralas give about 26,300 XP, the Gelkis ones about 13,900, both together about 40,100. Forever kept Classic’s experience curve, and level 40 alone takes 90,800 XP, so the Magram side covers about 29% of a level and the Gelkis side about 15%. Unless the ruins in the south add a lot more, Shen’dralas is an evening’s detour, not a zone to spend five levels in (our calculation).
Proof of Concept’s three rewards are uncommon items of item level 38 that need level 35 in the live game’s data. The same data holds six rare items of item level 42 right next to them, such as Scavenged Magram Armament and Greatstaff of the Necrokhans; which quests give them hasn’t been recorded.
Razorfen Downs, Maraudon and Dire Maul
No Shen’dralas quest for Razorfen Downs or Maraudon has turned up yet. Icy Veins and Warcraft Tavern reported such quests before launch, but Blizzard’s own zone text names the Shen’dralar, Eldre’Thalas, Dire Maul and the centaur tribes instead, and Zierhut tied the zone to Dire Maul. On November 5, ForeverChanges’ quest lists for Razorfen Downs (7 quests) and Maraudon (11) held only Classic quests. The nearest thing to a Maraudon link is the Gelkis quest A Cleansing Cry, which asks for Tears of Theradras; Princess Theradras is Maraudon’s final boss.
Shen’dralas has no dungeon of its own. The closest are Maraudon in western Desolace (recommended level 42) and Razorfen Downs on the southern edge of the Barrens (25+ per Blizzard, 34 in the Group Finder), while Dire Maul, home of the Shen’dralar, sits in Feralas (recommended 54). All three are in our WoW Forever dungeons by level.
Gathering and Cloth in Shen’dralas
We found no herb, ore or skinning data for Shen’dralas from the live game by November 5, and the zone is new apart from the Valley of Bones, where Classic’s spawn data holds a single Grave Moss node. One database lists Copper, Tin and Silver veins and level 5 to 8 Palemane gnolls for the zone; those belong to western Mulgore, which lies inside the Shen’dralas map’s frame, so ignore that list. The centaurs and quilboar are humanoids, so expect Silk and some Mageweave from the level 41 mobs up (our estimate from Classic drop rates).
Where Shen’dralas Fits a Leveling Route
Shen’dralas is the Kalimdor follow-up to Desolace. Our WoW Forever leveling guide has Desolace at 35 to 38 and the Riverglades at 37 to 42, then Tanaris and Feralas from 44. Shen’dralas slots in between: finish the Magram or Gelkis chain in the valley around 38 to 41, clear the level 43 quests at 41 or 42, then ride back north and on to Feralas or Tanaris.
| Level | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 33-38 | Desolace: Nijel’s Point (Alliance) or Shadowprey Village (Horde) | Earn Friendly with the Magram or Gelkis and start their chain. Maraudon (rec. 42) is here. |
| 38-41 | Shen’dralas: Valley of Bones | Gelkis quests 38-42, Magram quests 40-42 |
| 41-43 | Shen’dralas: Bristleback Retreat, Magram Front, Outcast Hideaway | Level 43 quests |
| 37-44 | Or the Riverglades in the Eastern Kingdoms | More than 150 quests per Blizzard, Krol’dok Stronghold (40-45) |
| 42-48 | Feralas, Tanaris, Dustwallow Marsh | Zul’Farrak (rec. 42); Dire Maul later at 54 |
The Riverglades is the bigger block for the same levels, with more than 150 quests according to Blizzard. If you level on Kalimdor or the Riverglades is packed in launch week, Shen’dralas is the short alternative; if quests run thin around 40, do both. Our Riverglades zone guide covers the other zone.
Shen’dralas FAQ
What level is Shen’dralas in WoW Forever?
Shen’dralas quests run from level 38 to 43 and all open at level 35, going by the 19 quests players had recorded by November 5. Blizzard hasn’t published a level range.
How do you get to Shen’dralas?
Through the Valley of Bones at the south end of Desolace, south-east of Mannoroc Coven. Alliance players fly to Nijel’s Point, Horde players to Shadowprey Village, and both ride on from there.
Does Shen’dralas have a flight path?
No. The live game’s data has no flight master in Shen’dralas. The nearest are Shadowprey Village for the Horde and Nijel’s Point for the Alliance, both in Desolace.
Is it Shen’dralas or Shen’dralar?
Shen’dralas is the zone. The Shen’dralar are the Highborne elves of Dire Maul, whose story the zone continues.
Is Shen’dralas Alliance or Horde?
Neither. Shen’dralas is contested, and every quest recorded so far is open to both factions through the neutral Magram and Gelkis centaurs.
Sources: Blizzard’s What’s Next and Found Photos panel recaps and its launch article; Kris Zierhut’s interview with The Sun; subzones, map, flight network and items from the live client’s game data (build 1.60.1.70790); quests from ForeverChanges and Wowhead, creature levels from MetaForge, pre-launch reports from Icy Veins, Warcraft Tavern and Warcraft Wiki. Screenshot and map: Blizzard Entertainment.